Andrew Yee[_1_]
January 8th 08, 06:01 AM
Megan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center, Cambridge, Mass.
617-496-7998
For Release: November 15, 2007
NGC 281: A Bustling Hub of Star Formation
[http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/ngc281/]
NGC 281 is a bustling hub of star formation about 10,000 light years away.
This composite image of optical and X-ray emission includes regions where
new stars are forming and older regions containing stars about 3 million
years old.
The optical data (seen in red, orange, and yellow) show a small open cluster
of stars, large lanes of obscuring gas and dust, and dense knots where stars
may still be forming. The X-ray data (purple), based on a Chandra
observation lasting more than a day, shows a different view. More than 300
individual X-ray sources are seen, most of them associated with IC 1590, the
central cluster. The edge-on aspect of NGC 281 allows scientists to study
the effects of powerful X-rays on the gas in the region, the raw material
for star formation.
A second group of X-ray sources is seen on either side of a dense molecular
cloud, known as NGC 281 West, a cool cloud of dust grains and gas, much of
which is in the form of molecules. The bulk of the sources around the
molecular cloud are coincident with emission from polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons, a family of organic molecules containing carbon and hydrogen.
There also appears to be cool diffuse gas associated with IC 1590 that
extends toward NGC 281 West. The X-ray spectrum of this region shows that
the gas is a few million degrees and contains significant amounts of
magnesium, sulfur and silicon. The presence of these elements suggests that
supernova recently went off in that area.
Chandra X-ray Center, Cambridge, Mass.
617-496-7998
For Release: November 15, 2007
NGC 281: A Bustling Hub of Star Formation
[http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/ngc281/]
NGC 281 is a bustling hub of star formation about 10,000 light years away.
This composite image of optical and X-ray emission includes regions where
new stars are forming and older regions containing stars about 3 million
years old.
The optical data (seen in red, orange, and yellow) show a small open cluster
of stars, large lanes of obscuring gas and dust, and dense knots where stars
may still be forming. The X-ray data (purple), based on a Chandra
observation lasting more than a day, shows a different view. More than 300
individual X-ray sources are seen, most of them associated with IC 1590, the
central cluster. The edge-on aspect of NGC 281 allows scientists to study
the effects of powerful X-rays on the gas in the region, the raw material
for star formation.
A second group of X-ray sources is seen on either side of a dense molecular
cloud, known as NGC 281 West, a cool cloud of dust grains and gas, much of
which is in the form of molecules. The bulk of the sources around the
molecular cloud are coincident with emission from polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons, a family of organic molecules containing carbon and hydrogen.
There also appears to be cool diffuse gas associated with IC 1590 that
extends toward NGC 281 West. The X-ray spectrum of this region shows that
the gas is a few million degrees and contains significant amounts of
magnesium, sulfur and silicon. The presence of these elements suggests that
supernova recently went off in that area.